An electrical engineer and senior editor for
Aviation Week and Space Technology, Philip Klass began investigating UFOs in 1966 after participating in a panel discussion on the subject for the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). From that time forward Klass has investigated UFO sightings in an effort to find a credible prosaic explanation, and became one of the most widely recognized UFO "debunkers." A founding member of the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal (CSICOP), serving on the Executive Council and the UFO subcommittee, Klass has authored seven books and numerous articles on UFOs, including the
Skeptics UFO Newsletter in 1989. In the early 1970s, he became interested in space based weapons, and began collecting material related to the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) for a possible book. The Klass Collection relate to his forty-plus years of investigating UFO sightings, and includes correspondence with many of the leading UFOlogists, both pro and con. The collection contains case files, subject files, and correspondence. In addition, Klass' SDI material is included.

Background note

Philip J. Klass was born in Des Moines, Iowa on November 8, 1919 to Raymond and Ann Klass, and was raised along with his younger sister in Cedar Rapids. Attending Iowa State University, Klass graduated in 1941 with his bachelors of science in electrical engineering and went to work that same year as an engineer at General Electric's facility in Schenectady, NY.

In 1952 Klass became a technical journalist for
Aviation Week & Space Technology (AWST) magazine, one of the leading publications for the aerospace industry. He remained with the magazine for 34 years, eventually becoming senior avionics editor. Taking semi-retirement in June 1, 1986, he continued on as a contributing editor working from home. During his time with the magazine, Klass kept a workaholic schedule putting in over forty-plus hours a week researching and writing articles. He wrote some of the first articles on inertial guidance technology, infrared missile guidance and detection, and the development of microelectronics. As a result of his work at AWST, he earned the distinction of being only one of two journalists to be named a fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). He received awards from the Aviation/Space Writers Association in 1972, 1974, 1975, 1977, and 1986; and the Lauren D. Lyman Award in 1989 for his distinguished career. From the Royal Aeronautical Society (London) Klass received the Boeing Decade of Excellence Award for lifetime achievement in 1989.

In addition to his distinguished career as an aerospace journalist, Klass developed a career investigating UFO sightings. Klass began investigating UFOs in 1966 after participating in a panel discussion for the IEEE. Unfamiliar with the subject, he read John G. Fuller's
Incident at Exeter: the Story of Unidentified Flying Objects Over America Today (New York: Putnam, 1966), which contained reports of glowing fireballs near high-tension power lines, and began looking at the possibility that UFOs could be nothing more then freak atmospheric electrical phenomenon such as ball lighting. When he entered the field of UFO investigation he held the premise that people were honestly reporting what they believed they saw. He soon learned that people sometimes held ulterior motives when reporting UFO sightings. His first investigation in 1966 of a sighting two years earlier near Socorro, NM showed that the report was merely a hoax in an attempt to bring tourism to the economically depressed town.

Klass has gone on to investigate numerous UFO sighting and abduction cases, including the 1975 Travis Walton "UFO Abduction" case, which he concluded was a hoax. Klass also investigated the MJ-12 Papers, which alleged that President Harry Truman created a top secret group called Majestic-12 to deal with the 1947 saucer crash. Klass' investigation demonstrated that the documents were counterfeit. In return Klass has been accused of being an agent of the U.S. government disseminating disinformation in a UFO cover-up, however, Klass doubts the ability of the government to cover up something as large as a crashed saucer in light of the failure to maintain secrecy around events such as Watergate and the Iran-Contra Affair. Admitting that if he obtained information that UFOs did exist he would not hesitate to write the article himself. Klass has the distinction of being labeled one of the leading UFO skeptics, along with Edward Uhler Condon and Donald Howard Menzel.

Out of his investigations, Klass has published seven books, his first being UFOs-Identified in 1968. He has also participated in UFO lectures and programs sponsored by both skeptics and pro-UFOlogists. In 1976 Klass was a founding member of the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal (CSICOP) along with Carl Sagan, Isaac Asimov, Paul Kurtz, Ray Hyman, James Randi, Martin Gardner, and Sidney Hook. The purpose of CSICOP is to support the analytical investigation of paranormal and fringe-science claims from a responsible, scientific point of view, and provide information to the general public.

Klass began donating his papers to the APS in 1988 with the view that the collection would one day help historians of pseudo-science understand how UFOlogy became so popular in the late-Twentieth Century. Philip Klass died on August 9, 2005 in Cocoa, FL.

Scope and content

The Collection of Philip J. Klass, an electrical engineer and UFO investigator, consist of 36 linear feet of materials documenting his writing and investigations of UFO sightings. Klass used his training as an engineer and technical writer in order to find a credible prosaic explanation for UFO sightings. Producing work on a scholarly level, Klass became one of the leading UFO skeptics along with Edward Uhler Condon and Donald Howard Menzel (whose papers are also at the APS). Klass was also instrumental in founding the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal (CSICOP), serving on the Executive Council and chairing the UFO subcommittee.

The collection is an ideal source for researchers investigating UFOs from a debunker's perspective, and his interaction with both the pro and con UFOlogy community. In addition, Klass' collection is valuable for the study of UFOlogy in popular culture through newspaper clippings and correspondence with the general public interested in UFOs, who openly expressed their opinions of his publications and public appearances. For historians of science and technology, the SDI material is an ideal source of material that documents the rise and decline of missile defense technology in the realms of public opinion, government policy, and technology. It contains newspaper and magazine clippings, government reports, and organizational material. It should be noted that the Klass Collection documents neither his work as an electrical engineer at GE, nor his career as an editor at AWST. The collection also lacks any documentation of Klass' personal life.

The collection is divided into eight series, and centers on Klass' UFO investigation material. Contained within the collection are correspondence, case files, subject files, material from conferences, periodicals related to UFOs, and audiovisual material.

Series I

Correspondence, 1966-1992

4 boxes; 2 linear feet

Series II

Case Files, 1948-1993

11 boxes; 5.5 linear feet

Series III

Subject Files, 1950-1996

10 boxes; 5 linear feet

Series IV

SDI Material, 1957-1991

9 boxes; 4.5 linear feet

Series V

Conferences, 1968-1992

1 boxes; 0.5 linear feet

Series VI

Periodicals, 1967-2000

22 boxes; 11 linear feet

Series VII

A/V, 1980-1998

10 boxes; 5 linear feet

Series VIII

Annotated Publications, 1975-1998

2 boxes; 1 linear feet

Collection information

Restrictions

Restrictions on Use:

Material in Series V-VIII (or elsewhere) may not duplicated except under fair use provisions of the copyright act.

Provenance

The Klass Papers were donated by Philip J. Klass in 1988. Additions to the collection have been made annually.

Preferred citation

Cite as: Philip Klass Collection, American Philosophical Society.

Processing information

Catalogued by J. J. Ahern, 2002.

Separated material

The following books have been transferred to the Printed Materials Department for storage. Please consult the Curator of Books for access.

Sturrock, Peter A.
Report on a Survey of the Membership of the American Astronomical Society Concerning the UFO Problem. Stanford: Stanford University Institute for Plasma Research, 1977.
Call No.: 629.4 St9r.

Zinsstag, Lou.
George Adamski -- The Untold Story: The Latest and Most Complete Evidence on the First Man to Claim that Extraterrestrials Live Among Us. Beckenham, Kent: Centi Publications, 1983.
Call No.: 629.4 Z6g.

Related material

The APS houses three collections with material relevant to UFO investigations:

In the Edward U. Condon Papers (Mss. B C752), "Series V. UFO Materials" contains documents related to Condon's position at the University of Colorado from 1966 to 1968 as head of the project "the Scientific Study of Unidentified Flying Objects," undertaken by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research to investigate claims of Unidentified Flying Objects.
The Donald Howard Menzel Papers concerning UFOs (Mss. 629.4 M52) includes correspondence, articles, newsclippings, photographs, and recordings, concerning Menzel's documentation of UFOs as natural phenomena explainable in scientific terms. One can find material on the National Investigation Committee on Aerial Phenomena, Project Blue Book, the Velikovsky controversy, and a card file of meteor activity, 1946-1961.
Ivan Terence Sanderson Papers (Mss. B Sa3) reflect his interest in animals, jungles, and natural history. Late in life, Sanderson's interest turned to UFO's and he was the director of the Society for the Investigation of the Unexplained.

Contains incoming and outgoing correspondence, the latter in the form of either carboncopies or photocopies. The series is arranged alphabetically, and then chronologically within each folder, and comprised of folders originally labeled by Klass as miscellaneous. For particularly extensive or relevant correspondence, we have provided individual folders. Among the several folders labeled as "Miscellaneous Correspondence" are materials that relate either to Klass's publications or to other UFO topic. Correspondence related to UFO cases investigated by Klass is located in Series II.

Series II is comprised of "case files" relating to UFO investigations that were either undertaken by Klass, or that were otherwise of interest. Case files include correspondence, newspaper clippings, government reports, and photographs. Among the most noteworthy material in this series is Klass's extensive correspondence with Bruce Maccabee -- a physicist employed by the Naval Surface Warfare Center and a leading pro-UFOlogist. Klass considered their investigation of the 1978 New Zealand UFO Case (as his most challenging and time consuming investigation. The basis of this investigation is that a TV camera crew flying off the coast of New Zealand filmed a giant glowing ball. Klass eventually determined the object to be the lights from a Japanese squid boat filmed through an improperly installed telephoto lens. In addition to their letters, maps, photographs, nomograns and charts were used to facilitate an understanding of the case's technical aspects.

Subject files on UFOs and alien abductions, consisting mostly of newspaper and magazine clippings, opinion pieces, government reports, and some correspondence. Of particular note is the file on the Volunteer Flight Officers Network (VFON) which was created in the mid-1960s by pro-UFOlogist Herbert Roth, a United Airlines employee. The organization was intended to help the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) refine its computer software for predicting atmospheric reentry of satellites and rockets. Roth secretly hoped VFON might also report UFOs. The file does show that pilot reports of UFOs were greatest during the period public interest, but when interest waned so did pilot reports. The material is semi-unique and may not be available anywhere else unless Roth maintained his own files. The project was ended in the late-1960s when NORAD and United Airlines discontinued funding.

Material on the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) "Star Wars" program, and ballistic missile defense systems. Klass collected this material with the intention of writing a book on space weapons. The series is primarily comprised of newspaper and magazine articles, in addition to government publications. The series is arranged chronologically, with notable works in their own folder. Klass originally had these items arranged chronologically in binders. The original order has been maintained as much as possible. The only non-UFO material in the collection developed out of Klass' work at
Aviation Week is the SDI material in Series IV. Klass began covering topics related to space defense weapons for the magazine in the late 1960s-anticipating an arms race in space. He proposed a book to his publisher Random House tentatively titled "Race to War in Space" in 1981 and was turned down. Klass had doubts at to the feasibility of creating a space defense system, and feared it would accelerate a space race. From 1981 to 1991 he continued to collect all available material on the subject in anticipation of writing a book until around 1987 when it became apparent that SDI was doomed. In addition, Klass was a long-time friend of Lt. General Jim Abrahamson who headed the Strategic Defense Initiative Organization.

Published proceedings, transcripts, and related correspondence for UFO conferences. The series is arranged alphabetically, and then chronologically within each folder. Material and correspondence related to various UFO conferences. Published proceedings from the MUFON conferences have been transferred to the Library's Printed Materials department.

UFO and SDI periodicals collected by Klass, as well as Klass's
Skeptic UFO Newsletter (SUN). The series is arranged alphabetically by title, and then chronologically. The periodicals in Series VI range from single issues to complete runs of works published within the United States, as well as international works such as the German pro-UFO publication
CENAP Report. Also in this series is Klass' own
Skeptical UFO Newsletter which he began publishing on a bi-monthly schedule in 1989 and has attracted over 300 subscribers.

Video and audio tapes relating to UFO and SDI programs that Klass either recorded purchased or from television. The audio tapes include recordings of lectures and radio/TV interviews by some of the UFO movement leaders (such as James E. McDonald and J. Allen Hynek), in addition to interviews Klass conducted as part of his own investigations. Finally, most of the printed materials which Klass donated have been transferred to the Printed Materials department.

Due to copyright restrictions, material in this series cannot be copied.

A photograph of Klass demonstrating a manner in which UFO photography can be produced is included at the end of this series.

Contains unpublished works by other authors, gray literature, and galley proofs for Klass' book "The Real Roswell Crashed-Saucer Coverup." Correspondence and other items once folded into published works have been removed and placed in folders in this series, with the published works themselves transferred to the Printed Material Department for storage. For a complete listing of published titles, see the separation report above.

Contains incoming and outgoing correspondence, the latter in the form of either carboncopies or photocopies. The series is arranged alphabetically, and then chronologically within each folder, and comprised of folders originally labeled by Klass as miscellaneous. For particularly extensive or relevant correspondence, we have provided individual folders. Among the several folders labeled as "Miscellaneous Correspondence" are materials that relate either to Klass's publications or to other UFO topic. Correspondence related to UFO cases investigated by Klass is located in Series II.

Series II is comprised of "case files" relating to UFO investigations that were either undertaken by Klass, or that were otherwise of interest. Case files include correspondence, newspaper clippings, government reports, and photographs. Among the most noteworthy material in this series is Klass's extensive correspondence with Bruce Maccabee -- a physicist employed by the Naval Surface Warfare Center and a leading pro-UFOlogist. Klass considered their investigation of the 1978 New Zealand UFO Case (as his most challenging and time consuming investigation. The basis of this investigation is that a TV camera crew flying off the coast of New Zealand filmed a giant glowing ball. Klass eventually determined the object to be the lights from a Japanese squid boat filmed through an improperly installed telephoto lens. In addition to their letters, maps, photographs, nomograns and charts were used to facilitate an understanding of the case's technical aspects.

Subject files on UFOs and alien abductions, consisting mostly of newspaper and magazine clippings, opinion pieces, government reports, and some correspondence. Of particular note is the file on the Volunteer Flight Officers Network (VFON) which was created in the mid-1960s by pro-UFOlogist Herbert Roth, a United Airlines employee. The organization was intended to help the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) refine its computer software for predicting atmospheric reentry of satellites and rockets. Roth secretly hoped VFON might also report UFOs. The file does show that pilot reports of UFOs were greatest during the period public interest, but when interest waned so did pilot reports. The material is semi-unique and may not be available anywhere else unless Roth maintained his own files. The project was ended in the late-1960s when NORAD and United Airlines discontinued funding.

Material on the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) "Star Wars" program, and ballistic missile defense systems. Klass collected this material with the intention of writing a book on space weapons. The series is primarily comprised of newspaper and magazine articles, in addition to government publications. The series is arranged chronologically, with notable works in their own folder. Klass originally had these items arranged chronologically in binders. The original order has been maintained as much as possible. The only non-UFO material in the collection developed out of Klass' work at
Aviation Week is the SDI material in Series IV. Klass began covering topics related to space defense weapons for the magazine in the late 1960s-anticipating an arms race in space. He proposed a book to his publisher Random House tentatively titled "Race to War in Space" in 1981 and was turned down. Klass had doubts at to the feasibility of creating a space defense system, and feared it would accelerate a space race. From 1981 to 1991 he continued to collect all available material on the subject in anticipation of writing a book until around 1987 when it became apparent that SDI was doomed. In addition, Klass was a long-time friend of Lt. General Jim Abrahamson who headed the Strategic Defense Initiative Organization.

Published proceedings, transcripts, and related correspondence for UFO conferences. The series is arranged alphabetically, and then chronologically within each folder. Material and correspondence related to various UFO conferences. Published proceedings from the MUFON conferences have been transferred to the Library's Printed Materials department.

UFO and SDI periodicals collected by Klass, as well as Klass's
Skeptic UFO Newsletter (SUN). The series is arranged alphabetically by title, and then chronologically. The periodicals in Series VI range from single issues to complete runs of works published within the United States, as well as international works such as the German pro-UFO publication
CENAP Report. Also in this series is Klass' own
Skeptical UFO Newsletter which he began publishing on a bi-monthly schedule in 1989 and has attracted over 300 subscribers.

Video and audio tapes relating to UFO and SDI programs that Klass either recorded purchased or from television. The audio tapes include recordings of lectures and radio/TV interviews by some of the UFO movement leaders (such as James E. McDonald and J. Allen Hynek), in addition to interviews Klass conducted as part of his own investigations. Finally, most of the printed materials which Klass donated have been transferred to the Printed Materials department.

Due to copyright restrictions, material in this series cannot be copied.

A photograph of Klass demonstrating a manner in which UFO photography can be produced is included at the end of this series.

Contains unpublished works by other authors, gray literature, and galley proofs for Klass' book "The Real Roswell Crashed-Saucer Coverup." Correspondence and other items once folded into published works have been removed and placed in folders in this series, with the published works themselves transferred to the Printed Material Department for storage. For a complete listing of published titles, see the separation report above.

Bartholomew, Robert E. "UFOlore: A Social Psychological Study of a Modern Myth in the Making" #1